The B-boys of Versova beach

It was turning out to be a boring Wednesday afternoon, as I was walking around the Versova beach trying to find something that would prod me to get the camera hanging by my shoulder to my eye level to make an image. It’s not really my day today, I thought and was just heading towards the shore to let the mild waves brush my feet, a tradition I follow every time I go to a beach, unless I am wearing shoes that is. There were hardly any people on that stretch of the beach, except for some kids from nearby settlements playing cricket.

Nothing is more annoying than going all the way to a place and not finding anything to shoot. Rather, your mind drawing a blank, creatively speaking. Shooting the Versova Koliwada was on my agenda, but it being afternoon, nothing much was happening. My plan of shooting a buzzing fish market died a premature death.

At the shore, the sea water was warm and relatively clean. After about 10 minutes I decided to head home and started walking towards the road.

Just as I was about to keep my camera in my bag, I noticed these four youngsters some distance before the road, stretching their arms, legs and doing the things that one is expected to do when warming up. Maybe they were headed for a swim or a jog, I assumed and carried on walking towards the road. The heat from the sun behind my back was starting to get annoyingly hot. I quickened my pace.

The long shadows around me, of the three youngsters, suddenly had weird shapes. One shadow had the feet on top, the other had no connection with the ground. I found that a bit strange and turned around to check out what the three amigos were upto.

The warm up was for their B-boying dance practice. I smiled to myself, the camera came out of the back, and now my back was facing the road.

I started shooting and made many images. The setting sun, the B-boying, the enthusiastic dancers were just what I needed on that boring Wednesday afternoon.

I don’t recall all of their names, but I did talk to them after while they were taking a breather. Turned out, they stayed nearby and come to the beach to practice their B-boying skills. They are part of a dance troupe that performs at college festivals and other functions.

Take Care,
Ciao

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